A golfer has to bend over to pick up golf balls after successfully completing a hole, during practice sessions, or during practice. This motion is difficult for some golfers, due to age or infirmity. Various types of golf ball retrievers have been proposed to allow a golfer to pick up a ball with little bending.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,658,145 describes a device for picking up golf balls, using four tines at the end of a shaft. The tines remain exposed out the end of the shaft, however, which would interfere aesthetically and operationally with a golf club. U.S. Pat. No. 3,318,628 describes a system having the tines hidden within the shaft, but this system requires a knob protruding through an elongated slot in the shaft of the club, which would interfere aesthetically and operationally with a golf club. An alternative embodiment using inertial means would interfere with the balance of a golf club, as well as being difficult to use by the aged or infirm. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,240 describes the use of a push button within the shaft, which would interfere aesthetically as well as operationally with operation of the club.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,720 describes a retriever in which the tines, although mostly hidden within the shaft of the club, must protrude sufficiently for the user to grip them to pull them out of the shaft, which would interfere aesthetically as well as operationally with operation of the club. This patent also describes the use of a tongue in the retrieval mechanism, interfacing with a hole in the shaft, to hold the retrieval mechanism in place.
Those prior art devices that require modifications to the shaft, such as holes or slots, cause increased expense during manufacture, weaken the shaft, and are not suited for retrofitting to existing clubs.
A need exists for a simple, easily operable golf ball retriever that does not interfere with the operation of the club, is sufficiently hidden so as not to interfere with the aesthetics of the club, and can be retrofitted to existing golf clubs, inserted into new clubs during manufacture, or used in a dedicated retrieval device. The present application meets these needs.